Alloy.



WILLIAM J. LEDDELL, F SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY. I

' ALLOY.

To cll whom it may concern:

lie it known that 1', \Vrnnrnr J. Lnnpum, acitizen of the United States, and residing at Summit, New Jersey, have invented a was of which the following is a s ecificatiou.

tain new and useful Improvement in Alloys,

' My invention relates to an eye eomm'onl known as zinc-alloys, and consisting principally of zinc, copper and aluminum, said alloys being particularly adapted for the production of ightcasti s in Iron molds, without the emplo ment 0 expansible cores, and bein especially suitable for various electrical and mechanical work, since a smooth finished casting may be obtained without machinin Owing to the fact that the rapidity of war is an m ortant item in such construction, it is evi out such an alloy is of no little importance for these purposes. Heretofore various alloys have been proposed in which the said ingredients were employed, but the slightest variation in proportions invariably rsulted in the production ofalloy poses-sing radically difierent properties, and in many instances the alloys produced were entirely unsuited for the purposes for which they were intended. For example, in alloys consisting principally of zinc, the introduction of copper in greater proportions than aluminum, produces an alloy whose melt-in point is relatively high and which, on coo mg, shrinks to such an extent that the alloy, while possessing valuable anti -.frictional properties, is entirely unsuited for a large variety of electrical and mechanical urposes, owing to its hardness and the difiiculty of producing sharp and clearl defined castin in ordinary molds. 011 t c other hand, w en similar so-called zinc-alloys are employed, which contain aluminum in pro ortions in excess of the copper, a crystal ine' structure results, which 15 so susce tible in many instances to fracture, that w en subjected to distortion strains by 1pressure or imdisintegrate without warning, thereby ren ering the same not only impracticable for many purposes, but extremely dangerous.

This invention has for its objects the roduction of a so-called zinc-alloy, which, w ilc melting at an extremely low temperature, possesses an extraordinary resistance to distortion by pressure or impact, and in such respects closely resemblm iron, having a high conductivity and a big degree of fl id.

Specification of Letters Patent. Applloatlon'filed January 29, 1908. Serial No. 418,162.

y Imus u 1 to Patented Oct. 18, 1908.

.ity, and witlml extreme] irngflu remarkably low g per cent. of the total wuig form 0 iron and lead. Said zinc is alloy d in any desirable manner with equal pro ortions of aluminum and copper, prefernb y 6 per cent. of aluminum and 5 per cent. ofcop per.

to increase the peculiar of the alloy, a. very mnuu may be emp oyed, preferably less than per cent, although ordinarily the employment. of cadmium is unnecessary. The proportions of zinc may be varied in accordance with the requirements of the work for which the alloy is to be employed, but regardless of roperty of fluidit small percentage of emf the amount-of zinc mtroduced, the said zinc obviously being in all instances the principal ingredient of the alloy, e ual amounts of aluminum and copper must e maintained in order to properly balance their respectiv properties and to produce an alloy corre spondmg to that herein described.

,These all according to the preferred races herein deta led, are especially suitahFe for the prev duction of li ht castings in iron molds, Since no expansihl standard threads are to be formed on said castings, and no machining of the same is subsequently necessitated.

Various ni plcs suitable for plumbing fixtures, 1ournn s, journal boxes, and in ac as stated, various light castings, when produced from this alloy, are not only extremal economical, in so far as their production is concerned, but possess an attractive appear- I a light and possessactor of shrinkage. ..1 production of said alloy 0. large proportion of zinc. is emplo d, f bl 90 it of the alloy, be-. mg commercial zmc, which zinc oftenconper cent. of impurities in the For special purposes,moreover,in order oys,- especially that produced e core is required, even when from massw of crystallized zinc segregated throughout even when subjected to severe weathering, and. moreover, there is an entire absence of any polsonousmgrcdients which would tend the ma s. In use, there is a remarkable absence of corrosion of themetal,

to render the same unsuitable for liquiddisipensing urposes. y

n the c aims the expression consisting principally of zinc is used to-(lofine an alloy containing in exams of 85. per cent. of zinc, a it is apparent, that an alloy containing, for example, 00 per cent. of zinc and equal parts of copper-and aluminum, would possess totally ditierent properties from the alloys herein described and would be inapplicable for the special purposes for which these alloys are em'iloyed. 4

Owing to t e various impurities occurring in the commercial articles which are employed in this alloy, and especially in the zinc and mpper, the expression substnm tially equal parts, as used in the claims, used to define proportions within variations of 1 of 1 per cent, as it is obviously impracticable in the commercial production of alloys to specify their proportions invariably within appreciably closer limits.

The expression factor of shrinkage as employed in the claims relates to the relative shrinkage of this alloy as compared with iron, and the alloy herein described in my preferred process of production possesses a factor approximately .695'as compared with 1 for iron. It is evident that these figures are merely approximate, and that I do'not limit the claims to the exact figur stated. as similar factors of shrinkage ap roximating that of iron, although varyin rom the. exact figures, 1'. e., .695, are equa ly within the scope of my invention, since the closer approximation of the factor of shrinkage of the alloy to that of imintlio-nnire desirable \vill'ho the casting property.

llaviug thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Lnited States l'lcttoru Patent is:

1. Anulloy consisting principally of ;-:inc,

and containing substantially e not parts of aluminum and copper respective y, said alloy possessing a relatively low factor of shrinkage and a relatively high resistance to distortion from impact or pressure, and having a dense, homogeneous structure substantially frui from segregated masses of crystallized zinc.

2. An alloy containing in-execss of eightyseveuninl onc-luilf per cent-.- of zinc, and containing substantially equal parts of aleminum and copper respectlvely.-

3. An alloy consisting rincipaliy of zinc and containing substantial aluminum and live per cent. of copper.

4. Au alloy mutaiuing substantially ninety per cent. of zinc, live per cent. of aluminum and five per cent. of copper.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my.

name to thisspecilieation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this twenty-first day of January, 1908,

'wnmL-uu J. LEDDELL 'ituesses:

' W. H. h'Wi-ISMKTON, Au'ruuu M. Simian.

ly five per cent. of 

